Letters
New McCarthyism
McCarthyism is alive and well. Instead of accusing people and organizations of being communist, however, the label in vogue is terrorist.
There may indeed be some terrorists in our midst. But the reckless manner in which that charge is today bandied about by both public officials and the media, coupled with the repeated failure to follow and hold those who make such accusations accountable, is a throwback to the regrettable time of Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
Just as those alleged to be closet communists in the 1950s found themselves automatically shunned and ruined, so those in the America of 2002 who are branded as terrorists or cohorts of terrorists are assumed to be guilty until proven innocent.
Take the recent ordeal of Dr. Riad Abdelkarim, an Anaheim physician. On a humanitarian trip to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Abdelkarim and Dalell Mohmed of Dallas, executive director of Kinder USA, were held by Israeli authorities on suspicion of possibly funding “terror attacks.”
Abdelkarim and Mohmed, both former members of the now-defunct Holy Land Foundation, whose assets the Bush Administration froze after alleging that the Richardson, Texas-based humanitarian organizations had links to Hamas, were held and subjected to repeated day-long interrogation sessions. (The HLF, none of whose members have been indicted or arrested, denies the accusations by the government and has brought a lawsuit against the government for wrongful actions.) At the end, Israeli authorities released them without any charges and without providing one shred of evidence to back their claims.
Indeed, throughout the entire ordeal,lasting two weeks for Abdelkarim,the terror charge was repeatedly bandied about, yet few reporters challenged Israeli officials or demanded an explanation as to why they were held for so long without any formal charges being brought.
We are and should be vigilant, but too often the line has been crossed into outright paranoia. And just as often, people’s reputations are besmirched based on nothing more than allegations. Sen. McCarthy would have been delighted.
Nidal M. Ibrahim
(Ibrahim is editor and publisher of Arab-American Business magazine in Huntington Beach and a former Orange County
Business Journal reporter.)
OC 50
It is important to shed light on why Assemblyman Lou Correa and state Sen. Joe Dunn have been chosen as two of the 50 most-influential business leaders in Orange County by the Orange County Business Journal (May 6).
No, it is not because they sponsor legislation to stimulate OC’s business climate or because they fight off trial attorneys and unions or because they fend off bills that add undue regulations. Their influence is the other sort of influence,influence that thwarts business.
The California Chamber of Commerce tracks the best and worst bills for each legislative year. In 2001 Mr. Correa voted with the “business-friendly” recommendations a dismal 46% of the time, while Mr. Dunn came in at an embarrassing 23%. By comparison, no other Orange County legislator scored under 90%. That means instead of voting to reform the workers compensation system, Messrs. Correa and Dunn voted to increase employer costs by $3.6 billion. Instead of voting to limit litigation, they voted to increase it. Instead of voting to limit prevailing wages for private projects, they voted to threaten economic development. The list goes on and on.
Orange County business leaders can only hope that Assemblyman Correa and Sen. Dunn will have less “influence” in the future, and perhaps even less under a different governor.
John Campbell
Assemblyman, 70th District
Irvine
Workers’ Comp
Had I managed to read Dennis Aigner’s May 13 Viewpoint through to its conclusion without his so much as mentioning the heart of the workers’ comp problem, namely the administration of the system, then I would have simply thought he was so focused on the numbers as to miss the core issue. But, there, tucked into the last paragraph, is at least a nod towards the need “to strive for even greater efficiency in administering the system.”
Discussion of creating a floor, the squeeze on State Fund, claims frequency and carrier solvency seems to me pointless until this gravely flawed system is examined and reformed by individuals interested in a compensation structure that is equitable for employers, carriers and workers. The current system is not even close.
Pat Cochran
President
National Management
Orange
United Way
From time to time, we hear that Orange County residents are not as giving as those in other areas of the U.S. While that may be true in some cases, citizens of Orange County have responded with remarkable generosity during the last 12 months. Even as we continue our noble quests to build a world-class performing arts venue, university facilities, churches, hospitals and museums, we have not forgotten the less glamorous but very real human needs of our fellow citizens. During the past year we have contributed record amounts to the United Way to help Orange County’s youngest citizens, at-risk youth, seniors in need, the abused and neglected, the infirmed and those temporarily down on their luck. We did all of this even as we came to the aid of those across the country who have been victimized by cruel assassins.
On May 2, more than 500 supporters of the United Way joined to celebrate the record-setting year. The event paid tribute to hundreds of United Way’s local corporate, governmental and institutional partners and thousands of their associates who once again gave of themselves to make Orange County a better, healthier place for all of us to live.
The highlight of the festive evening was hearing the story of Laura Blatchford, mother of four-year-old male triplets who were born blind or near blind. She talked of the difficulties she and her husband faced at the boys’ births. Fortunately, they received help from a United Way-affiliated agency almost from the first day. The story of this family’s relationship with the Blind Children’s Learning Center is certainly one of challenge, but it is also a story about hope and triumph. This story is only one of many that could have been shared that evening.
Congratulations, Orange County, for contributing more than $27 million to improve the quality of life in our community. That record total, up from last year’s previous record, positions us as a national leader both in dollars raised and increased giving. These accomplishments come at a time when many of our local United Way’s sister agencies across the nation unfortunately did not meet their goals.
Our collective generosity means Orange County’s United Way can continue its mission of helping families like the Blatchfords. It also sends a strong message that we care about our neighbors and that as a community we are willing to help, in good times and bad, when there is a well-defined need and a clear vision.
Kris Elftmann
(Elftmann is owner of Noelle Corporate Communications and a board member of Orange County’s United Way.)
